Orioles Rumors

Orioles, Mariners Interested In Jason Marquis

By Tim Dierkes | December 11, 2009 at 4:35pm CDT

4:35pm: An Orioles official told MASN's Roch Kubatko not to get too excited about Marquis. Kubatko says the Orioles are "more likely to sign a pitcher who's coming off injury to an incentive-ladened deal." They're known to have interest in bringing Erik Bedard back, for example.

3:20pm: This week we learned that the Phillies, Mets, and Nationals are in on free agent starter Jason Marquis. Today Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports add two American League clubs to the mix: the Mariners and Orioles. Marquis' positive traits: he can eat innings, and he was third in baseball with a 55.6% groundball rate.

The FOX writers note that the Mariners are in on many free agent starters, including John Lackey, Ben Sheets, Doug Davis, and Jarrod Washburn. This is the first I've heard of the Sheets connection.

Odds & Ends: Beltre, Lyon, Nats, Rangers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 10, 2009 at 11:07pm CDT

Some more links for your Thursday night…

John Tomase of the Boston Herald says the Red Sox believe Adrian Beltre to be "one of the most game-changing defenders in the majors."
Two GMs tell Tom Verducci of SI.com that they were shocked to see the Astros commit $15MM to Brandon Lyon.
Verducci reports that the Yankees called the Tigers about Curtis Granderson before the World Series began.
The Nats still plan on adding multiple veteran starters, according to Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post.
Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers have to be "extremely selective with multi-year deals, stock a good farm system, fill in with low-risk, high-reward short-timers and churn regularly." So far, Sherrington likes Jon Daniels' strategy.
MLB.com's Ian Browne expects Mike Lowell to be a positive presence in the Texas clubhouse.
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti tells MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he's "not close" on any deals.
Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Steve Kornacki of MLive.com that there's a chance Phil Coke starts in Detroit.
The D'Backs don't appear to have much money to spend, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
Marlins president Larry Beinfest tells MLB.com's Joe Frisaro that "there is still some stuff simmering." The club hopes to trade Dan Uggla, according to Frisaro.
Orioles starter Brian Matusz told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun that he grew up watching Kevin Millwood pitch for the Braves. Now, the two will be teammates.
Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times reports that the Dodgers turned down a Japanese club that wanted to buy Eric Stults' contract.
Brian Cashman told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News that Juan Miranda could potentially DH for the Yanks next year.

Rays Acquire Rafael Soriano

By Tim Dierkes | December 10, 2009 at 7:18pm CDT

7:18pm: Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times says it's a "done deal." It'll be announced tomorrow.

6:29pm: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the deal hasn't been finalized yet. The doctors didn't look at all the reports today, but it should go through tomorrow.

4:38pm: MLB.com's Mark Bowman says the medical reports have been reviewed and the Rafael Soriano–Jesse Chavez swap has been finalized.

11:00am: Rosenthal and Morosi say the Rays will sign Soriano for one year and $7MM or slightly more; the deal will be official after medical records are exchanged. They say Soriano's contract will be non-guaranteed.

10:16am: Rosenthal tweets that the Rays are negotiating a one-year deal with Soriano, and terms must be reached before the trade can become official. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick believes this deal should be done by day's end once the Rays look at Soriano's medicals.

1:30am: Topkin says the Rays will pay all of Soriano's salary, whatever that may be. The two sides don't necessarily have to go to arbitration even though Soriano accepted, they could even work out a multi-year deal.

THURSDAY, 12:55am: SI.com's Jon Heyman says that Soriano has been traded to Tampa, pending medical review.

WEDNESDAY, 11:53pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the deal is "nearly complete." Jesse Chavez, the reliever the Rays obtained for Akinori Iwamura, will likely be dealt to Atlanta.

11:38pm: Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays and Braves are "close" to a deal for Soriano. It could be completed tomorrow.

10:08pm: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Braves and Rays could finalize a deal for Soriano as early as tomorrow morning.

8:05pm: They may not be frontrunners, but the Rays are talking to the Braves about Soriano, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown.

5:16pm: The Braves don't consider any team the frontrunner for Soriano, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.

3:23pm: Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports suggests the Rays are the frontrunner for Soriano, assuming they'll expand their payroll to fit him in. ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Rays are very interested but are balking at the money and players involved. Funny to note that Rays owner Stuart Sternberg recently told Roger Mooney, "There is no $7 million closer showing up."

2:36pm: ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Braves want a solid return for Soriano and want the other team picking up the tab. Not sure they have the leverage for that.

1:52pm: Rosenthal tweets that the Rays and Astros are vying for Soriano. Note that the Astros just lost LaTroy Hawkins to the Brewers.

1:04pm: Rosenthal now tweets that the Orioles and Angels are out on Soriano. Soriano is apparently out of the Angels' price range. Rosenthal still thinks a deal will come together quickly.

WEDNESDAY, 8:36am: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Angels are another suitor for Soriano. Makes sense, given Brian Fuentes' struggles.

TUESDAY, 6:31pm: Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald says the Red Sox are unlikely to be suitors for Soriano. Meanwhile, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution says the Yankees, Astros and Orioles have interest in Soriano. Braves GM Frank Wren confirmed to O'Brien that at least one team has interest in both Soriano and Derek Lowe.

4:09pm: Reliever Rafael Soriano has already given Braves GM Frank Wren trade clearance, tweets MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Wren said he's already had discussions with multiple teams. Soriano accepted the Braves' offer of arbitration last night, perhaps in an effort to skirt draft pick compensation.

The Orioles, Astros, and Red Sox appear to be potential suitors for Soriano, based on previous reports. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted earlier today that the Yankees are not interested in trading for him.

Orioles Still Looking For Pitching

By Tim Dierkes | December 10, 2009 at 4:47pm CDT

Even after acquiring Kevin Millwood, the Orioles are still looking for pitching, president Andy MacPhail told the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec. Zrebiec notes that the O's met with Erik Bedard's agent during the Meetings. We haven't heard the Orioles linked to Ben Sheets, but I wonder if he could be another injury-risk starter under consideration.

The Orioles still seek a closer, and Zrebiec notes that Jose Valverde, Fernando Rodney, Kevin Gregg, and Mike Gonzalez are still on the free agent market. I should add that Francisco Cordero, Bobby Jenks, Matt Capps, and Kerry Wood are potentially available on the trade market.

The Orioles also hope to address the infield corners, with Pedro Feliz the main name off the board. Zrebiec names a slew of options under consideration.

Odds & Ends: Livan, Cameron, Matsui, Mulder

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 9, 2009 at 9:26pm CDT

Time for another round of links…

The Nats have "some" interest in Livan Hernandez, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
The Red Sox "appear interested" in Mike Cameron, according to Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal.
We know the Dodgers want pitching for Juan Pierre. Ned Colletti told SIRIUS XM radio that he'd accept a back-of-the-rotation pitcher, according to Diamond Leung.
Jon Greenberg of ESPN.com takes a look at the influence technology has on the Winter Meetings. Within the article, a Cubs exec calls Tim Dierkes his hero, so it's worth a read for that line alone.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman says the Curtis Granderson acquisition doesn't mean the Yankees can't bring back Hideki Matsui or Johnny Damon, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
Mike Scioscia told Lyle Spencer of MLB.com that the Angels would "definitely consider" Hideki Matsui.
Padres manager Bud Black expects Adrian Gonzalez to return to the Padres in 2010, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Brewers met with Mark Mulder's representation today. He's also drawing interest from the Royals, according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel.
MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the Astros only offered LaTroy Hawkins a one-year deal, so he signed with the Brewers.
The Orioles will meet with Aroldis Chapman's agents, though they remain "a longshot" to acquire the Cuban pitcher, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
MLB.com's Lyle Spencer confirms that the Angels still have interest in Chapman.
Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports that the Red Sox have not spoken with Justin Duchscherer's agents since they met Sunday night. Apparently 11 teams are interested in Duchscherer.
Keith Law of ESPN.com says it makes sense for the Yankees to keep bringing Andy Pettitte back on one-year deals. Law doesn't mind the Randy Wolf deal, either.
There may come a time when the Cardinals have to force Matt Holliday's hand, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Orioles Acquire Kevin Millwood

By Tim Dierkes | December 9, 2009 at 8:46pm CDT

8:46pm: Evan Grant reports that the Orioles will send their third overall Rule 5 pick to the Rangers.

5:26pm: The trade is official, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com.

3:36pm: Evan Grant hears that only the medical report approvals remain before this deal is done. He believes the Rangers would use some of the money saved to sign a free agent starter.

2:08pm: Rosenthal is hearing the Rangers will pick up $3MM of Millwood's $12MM tab.

1:38pm: The two sides have a tentative agreement, reports Zrebiec. He says the deal could be completed as early as tonight. However, ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that a Rangers official said his team hasn't signed off on the trade.

1:20pm: The Orioles and Rangers are close to swapping pitchers Kevin Millwood and Chris Ray, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports agrees. The Rangers would of course send cash in the deal. Ray hasn't heard anything yet, according to MASN's Steve Melewski.

The Rangers allowed Millwood's option to vest in late September, triggering a $12MM salary for 2010. The righty, 35 later this month, posted a 3.67 ERA in 198.6 innings with a 5.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. He dealt with a strained gluteus muscle around July. Ray, 27, closed for the Orioles in '06 and part of '07 but needed Tommy John surgery in August of '07. The arb-eligible righty is under team control for two more years.

Boras Speaks

By Tim Dierkes | December 9, 2009 at 3:09pm CDT

We'll add some links from Scott Boras' lobby chat in this post, though from what I can tell he didn't say anything interesting. We'll keep this a tweet-free post.

Boras busted out his famous books, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
Boras thinks Matt Holliday is a "different" kind of player than Jason Bay, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Of course it's Boras' job to distinguish between Holliday and Bay, so we should expect comments like this.
EPSN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports that Boras compared Holliday's production to Mark Teixeira's.
The Rays haven't discussed a contract extension for Carlos Pena, who's entering the last year of his contract, according to MLB.com's Bill Chastain.
WEEI's Rob Bradford has Boras talking about Matt Holliday and Adrian Beltre, where Boras compares Beltre's offensive ability to Jason Bay's.
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News has Boras saying five or six teams are interested in Beltre, including the Mariners. Boras said some teams (many have speculated the Red Sox) would move their third baseman for Beltre.
Baggarly quotes Boras as saying "There are teams that have interest [in Holliday] and don’t want to let anyone to truly know." Boras assumes the Giants are interested in Holliday.
Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News has Boras explaining why the Mets can afford Holliday.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has Boras saying that the Cardinals retaining Holliday is like keeping two players, since it will help them sign Albert Pujols.
Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun has Boras saying the Kevin Millwood trade is not done, but they're having discussions.

Seven Teams In On Nick Johnson

By Tim Dierkes | December 9, 2009 at 2:54pm CDT

WEDNESDAY, 2:53pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Giants and Mariners are still in on Johnson, but are neither is offering a second year.

MONDAY, 3:17pm: MLB.com's Steve Gilbert notes that it would be tough for the D'Backs to fit Johnson and a starter into the budget.

2:44pm: Seven teams are in on injury-prone on-base machine Nick Johnson, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark: the Mariners, Giants, Mets, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Orioles, and Yankees. Stark says Johnson is high on Seattle's first base shopping list. It's been said that Johnson, 31, is seeking a two-year deal. Check out our discussion post on him here.

Twins Rumors: Third Base, Harden

By Tim Dierkes | December 9, 2009 at 2:34pm CDT

2:34pm: Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press spoke to DeRosa's agent Keith Grunewald, who said talks with the Twins have been nothing more than preliminary.

10:49am: Neal has more, questioning the Feliz and Uribe links. Also, Neal spoke to someone from Rich Harden's agency and came away thinking the Mariners are the favorite (the Twins have not been in contact recently).

9:28am: Let's take a look at the Twins' third base situation. Yesterday afternoon, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports said they're considering free agents Adrian Beltre, Pedro Feliz, Mark DeRosa, and Juan Uribe, though Beltre and DeRosa might be too pricey. He did not see Boston's Mike Lowell as a target. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. has the Astros and Orioles in on Feliz, in addition to the Twins.

La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote early this morning that the Twins are "very interested in DeRosa." A trade for Kevin Kouzmanoff is another possibility, while re-signing Joe Crede hasn't been ruled out.

Multiple Teams Eyeing Joel Pineiro

By Tim Dierkes | December 9, 2009 at 12:38pm CDT

Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets of six early suitors for free agent righty Joel Pineiro, who is perhaps now the best free agent starter available aside from John Lackey. Brown names the Yankees, Mets, Nationals, Cubs, Orioles, and Angels as interested teams. ESPN's Jayson Stark says Pineiro wants more than $10MM a year.

Pineiro had a fine 2009 season, using a sinker to get tons of groundballs and walking very few. But while he's a couple years younger than Randy Wolf, I can't see Pineiro getting a four-year deal. I think he'll be hard-pressed to get three. And regarding the Cubs' interest, I'd be surprised if they found the cash. The Yankees also seem unlikely.

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